Selective channel cleaning and lubricating system for lubricated valves



Jan. 7, 1936. J. c. HAUN SELECTIVE CHANNEL CLEANING AND LUBRICATINGvSYSTEM FOR LUBRICATED VALVEs Filed Aug; 31, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 jIELlJan. 7, 1936.

J. c. HAUN 2,026,891

SELECTIVE CHANNEL CLEANING AND LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR LUBRICATED VALVESriled Aug. 31, 1932 a Sheets-Sheet 2 iii ELM Jan. 7, 1936. J, c. HAUN2,026,891 SELECTIVE CHANNEL CLEANING :AND LUEIHCATING SYSTEM FORLUBRICATED VALVES Filed Aug. 31, 1952 :s Sheets-Sheet s Era 4- 51 50 g Pr .15

52 INVENTUR QZELHEQUN g1" T DRNE'YE wherein provision is Patented Jan.7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,026,891 SELECTIVE CHANNELCLEANING AND LU- BRICATING VALVES SYSTEM FOR LUBRICATED This inventionrelates to improvements in lubricated valves and concerns primarily alubricated valve construction wherein there is a valve housing and avalve closure with lubricant 5 channels between the valve housing andvalve closure and an arrangement whereby channels of the .lubricantsystem may be selectively isolated from the remainder of the system andtested or cleaned. In lubricated valves of this general character if oneor more lubricant channels should become clogged with clogging materialintroduced from the line or the lubricant should harden or cake and thusclog the channel, no provision has been made for selectively cleaningand lubricating. the clogged channels.

The lubricant is ordinarily forced into the system from a singlepoint-of application and will follow the course of least resistancethrough unclogged channels without disturbing the clogged material orcaked lubricant in the clogged channels. It is highly desirable to beable to isolate channels from each other and to force a fluid throughthe isolated channels to remove the clogging or caked material therefromand to refill these channels with lubricant. It is also highly desirableto be able to selectively. test individual channels to determine thatthey are in proper functioning condition.

An object of the invention is to provide a valve which will accomplishthe above mentioned desiderata in that it is possible to selectivelyisolate channels one from the other and build up-a pressure in theindividual channels to expel the clogging or caked material and replace35 with fresh lubricant. The construction lends itself advantageously toemploy the method disclosed in my copending application entitled Meansand method of cleaning and lubricating valves, Serial No. 631,235, filedAugust 31, 1932, made for maintaining a body of relatively heavylubricant available to the system at all times'with provision made forintroducing a relatively light lubricant into the channels for normaloperation at a point spaced 45 from .the point of ingress for heavylubricant. Another object of the invention is to provide a valveutilizing a spring for urging the tapered rotary plug into seatingposition and having a well in which a fluid may be confined to exert 50a pressure in opposition to the spring and to provide a system whereinliquid in the well may be supplied from the lubricant system andretained therein under necessary pressure to oppose the spring eventhough pressure in the lubricant 55 system may subsequently decrease,

A further object of the invention is to provide a lubricated valvehaving the above mentioned characteristics in which provision is madefor expelling clogging material or.caked lubricant from-the well intothe passage through the plug 5 so that this expelled material may bedischarged into the line flow and thus disposed of in instances wherethe introduction of lubricant into the line flow is not a seriousdetriment. Where the introduction of lubricant into the line flow i0 isdetrimental, provision must be made for expelling the lubricant from thevalve through the housing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

which will be made manifest in the following 15 detailed description,and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had tothe accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of theinvention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is .a vertical section through a valve embodying the inventionillustrating one preferred form of construction. I

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation illustrating a modified form ofconstruction.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section which may be considered as having beentaken either upon the line 33 upon Figure 1 or upon the line 3--3 uponFigure 2 inasmuch as both, valves at this line of sectionhave the sameappearance.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section illustrating a housing of either of thevalves shown'in Figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial view in side elevation illustratingthe plug of thevalve.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the plug as havingbeen turned into a position to selectively isolate channels forcleaning, testing, or repairing with fresh lubricant.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar referencecharacters designate 40 similar pa '5 throughout, the improved valvecomprises a housing l0 having. ports H and I2 providing for theattachn'lent of line pipes l3 and M. The housing provides a. taperedbore l5 for a rotary tapered plug l6 having a passage l1 therethroughadapted to be placed in alignment with ports 1! and H or positioned atright angles as shown upon the drawings The plug IE has a stem or shankl8 and it is retained in position in the housing by means of a cap l9 asby ca'p screws 20. The cap may. have a threaded gland 2lwhich compressespacking against a shoulder on the plug. This packing may be of anypreferred form and may be braided asbestos packing. However, in the asplug.

packing employing a thin metal diaphragm or disc 22 engaging with theshoulder over which there is a flexible disc 23 of asbestos orequivalent material. Top and bottom rings 24 and 25 are provided betweenwhich there is a corrugated spring ring 26. It will be understood thatalthough the above described packing construction is preferred, its useis optional.

The plug has its stem provided with a vertical bore 21 through whichgrease or lubricant may be introduced, the lubricant being forceddownwardly through the bore by means of a threaded plug 28. An upwardlyclosing check valve 28 prevents reverse flow therethrough, the checksite channels 34 and 35 extending around the top of the plug through anarc of approximately ninety degrees. When the plug is in fully closedposition, as shown upon Fig. 3, the ends of these channels communicatewith upright channels 36, 31, 38 and 39, formed in the seating surfaceof the housing. At the bottom of the plug there are two oppositehorizontal channels 48 and 4| which are beneath their respective upperchannels 34 and 35 and these communicate with the lower ends of theupright channels 36, 31, 38 and 38,

from the horizontal grooves 48 and 4|. sponding upward extensions 34aand lead upwardly ,from channels tively to the diaphragm on lubricant tothe engaging surfaces between the plug and disc 22 and thus lubricateand form a lubricant seal preventing sure or fluid at this point.

member 45 and the body of the housing. This diaphragm is formed of thinsheet metal so as to be flexible and has an aperture 49 formed therein.It extends inwardly beneath the plug and ,bears against the bottomsurface of the In the housing there are formed horizontal plugged bores58, 5|, 52 and 53. Each plugged bore communicates with the upper end ofits respective upright channel on the housing. In other words pluggedbore 58 communicates with channel 36, plugged bore 5| communicates Thefittings are preferably provided with ball check valves, as shown, andmay have lugs as shown to facilitate the application of a grease gun orthe like.

The operation and advantages of the modification disclosed in Figure 1are as follows. When the valve is in fully closed position as shown, alubricant may be introduced into the valve through the bore 21 in stemI8. It passes down into the 'diametrical bore 3|, into the upperchannels 34 and 35 and from these into channels 40 and 4| 2,026,891preferred form 01 the invention I use a spring the upright channels as,:1, as and as. the lower ends of From these channels it passes into andfrom these through the downward extensions 42 and 43, escaping betweenthe diaphragm 48 and the bottom of the plug l6 into the well 44. Thislubricant lubricates the valve and the arrangement shown is such as toform a complete circuit of lubricant around each port II and I2, thusforming a sealed port valve.

When the spring packing is used, such as is dis- 10 closed at 26, thegland 2| is tightened down so as to cause the spring packing to urge theplug downwardly or toward its seat with a considerable force largely inexcess of the upward force which may be exerted on the plug by the linepressure. 15

If this spring force were left uncounterbalanced it would cause the plugto seize or bind on the housing, even though the plug is lubricated,after a few turns of the plug. However, by having the grease with thewell, pressure of the grease groove system is transmitted to the wellwhich exerts ,an upward force on the plug in opposition to the springpacking so as to largely counterbalance the effort of the springpacking. In this way 25 by properly feeding the lubricant into thelubricant system and into the well a very flne adjustment of the valveis possible which is not possible by tightening down or loosening upgland 2|. Furthermore the plug being supported 30 upon the lubricant inthe well can be easily turned, there being a minimum amount of frictionpresent. The diaphragm 48 acts somewhat like a check valve in thatlubricant from the lubricant system may enter the well and willberetained therein so that if the pressure in the lubricant channelsshould subsequently decrease, this pressure on the bottom of the plug isretained. In some instances it is desirable to have a body of relativelyheavy lubricant available 40 for instant use although a light lubricantis desirable for normal operation to keep the valve in proper workingcondition. The construction lends itself admirably for this purpose inthat a body of heavy lubricant may bore 21 below plug 28. Lightlubricant can be introduced into the channels through fittings 54, 55,58 and 51. It will be noted that the points of introduction for lightlubricant into the system are remote from the point of introduction 50for heavy lubricant so that there is no opportunity for the lightlubricant on being subjected to pressure escaping between the threads onplug 28 and on the interior of stem l8. The intervening body of heavylubricant between the bot- 55 tom of the plug and the plugged boresoperates as a seal preventing leakage of light lubricant.

Although the valve above described may be used in this manner tointroduce optionally a light or heavy lubricant, the primary purpose ofits design is to enable grooves of the lubrication system to beselectively isolated from one another and cleaned out or tested, orindividually supplied with fresh lubricant. To accomplish this 65isolation of grooves the plug I8 is turned irom' the position shown inFigure 3 into the position shown in Figure 6. In this position it willbe noted that groove 38 and groove 31 are cut off or isolated fromtheremaining part of the sys- 70 tem. A fluid can then be injected intogrooves 36 and 38 through their respective fittings 54 and 56. When thisis done the well is opened by removal of plug 41 and the fluidintroduced through these two fittings is forced to pass downwardlythrough 7 groove system in communication 20 be preserved in 45 :rooves36 and 38 into grooves II and 40, into he well 44, and through theoutlet 46. If groove i6 should happen to be plugged or clogged, this oflubricant from Grooves 3B and 38 can be tested individually with theplug in the positionshown in Figure 6. In order to test and clean outgrooves 31 and 39, the plug is rotated approximately thirty degrees in aclockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 6 so as to isolategrooves 36 and 3B and leave only grooves 31 and 39 in communication withhorizontal grooves 35, 36', 40 and H. These grooves can be tested withtheir respective fittings 55 and 51, the clogging material forced outthrough the outlet and new lubricant applied thereto. When the grooveshave thus been tested,

cleaned out, and supplied with new lubricant as occasion may require,plug 41 may be replaced and sufllcient pressure built up in the systemto cause the fluid in well 44 to properly counterbalance the effect ofspring26. It is not necessary in this type of construction to use aplug, as shown at 41. In place of this plug a relief valve of anypreferred type, which may be manually operated or which may beautomatic, can be substituted to control the openable outlet.

Figure 2 discloses a modified form of construction which issubstantially the same as that disclosed in Figure l with the followingdifferences. The well indicated at 10 does not have an openable outletleading through the housing to the atmosphere nor does it have thediaphragm engaging the bottom ofthe plug. Communication, however, isestablished between the lubrication groove system and the well. In thisconstruction the outlet from the well is provided by a vertical bore 1 lformed in the plug itself, leading up to the passage 12 formed in theplug. This bore is provided with a check valve 13 permitting flew upinto passage 12 but preventing reverse flow. When the valve is in openposition, in the case where it is installed in a liquid transmittingpipe line, the various grooves of the lubrication system can beselectively isolated from each other, cleaned out, tested and replacedwith fresh lubricant as before described, the old lubricant or cloggingmaterial being forced first into the well and then up into the passage12 to be taken away by the line flow. This type of valve can be usedwhere introduction of lubricant into line flow is not a seriousdetriment. Where the valve is in a pipe line transmitting a gas, thegrooves can be selectively isolated from each other while the plug is inapproximately closed position as well as approximately open position andin this respect the clogging material or old grease can be expelled upinto passage 12. When the valve is in approximately open position, theold grease will be expelled directly-into the line flow. When it is inapproximately closed position it will be expelled into passage 12 merelycompressing the gas in the passage until the valve is subsequentlyturned to open position, after which the lubricant or clogging materialas the case may be is swept away by the line flow. Reverse flow isprevented instances it may into' seating position with sufficient by thecheck valve 13. In this construction also it will be appreciated that itis possible to introduce into the lubricant system a light lubricantwhile maintaining a body of heavy lubricant in the stem, preventingleakage of light lubricant around the plug at the top of the stem. Inthis construction the maximum pressure be developed in the well 10 inopposition to the spring packing is somewhat dependent onthe magnitudeof the pressure in theline and in some be found desirable in this typeof valve to use braided asbestos packing as distinguished from thespring packing disclosed on Figure 1.

From the above da eribed constructions it will 15 be appreciated that anovel advantageous valve is provided wherein grooves of the lubricantsystem may be selectively isolated, tested and supplied with freshlubricant. Also provision is made for using a spring packing asdistinguished from a relatively non-elastic packing, such as braidedasbestos, and for delicately counterbalancing the effect of the springpacking in accordance with line conditions so that the plug will beurged force to preserve a tight valve yet it will not be seated with sogreat a force as to cause the plug to bind or seize. The fluid pressureused in counterbalancing the spring packing can be entrapped in the wellto exert this counterbalancing effort regardless of lower pressureswhich may-occur in the lubricant system. In other words the liquid inthe well can be entrapped and maintained therein under a desiredpressure even though lubricant in the lubricant system may escape andthe pressure inthe lubricant system decrease.

In some instances where the incoming or upstream pressure is quite highas compared with the downstream or outlet pressure, the plug is forcedby this upstream pressure to one side of the seat. The presentconstruction enables the introduction of a lubricant of a differentviscosity into the lubricant channels on the downstream side of the plugshould this be found desirable.

the details 5 of construction without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lubricated valve having a housing and a rotary plug, lubricantchannels on the plug, means for supplying lubricant to the channelsthrough the plug, there being a well on the housing in communicationwith the channels, means providing an openable outlet in the well, meansfor forcing a fluid through selected channels into the well and throughthe outlet, and check valves preventing flow from the selected channelsinto other of the channels. a

2. In a lubricated valve having a housing and a rotary plug, lubricantchannels on the housing, means for supplying lubricant to the channelsthrough the plug, there being a well on the housing in communicationwith the channels, means providing an openable outlet in the well, meansfor forcing a fluid through selected channels into the well and throughthe outlet, without forcing it through other of the channels, and checkvalves preventing flow from the selected channels into other of thechannels.

3. In a lubricated valve having a housing and a rotary plug, lubricantchannels between the plug andhousing, means for applying lubricant tothe channels through the plug, there being a well on the housing incommunication with the and check valve means preventing flow from theselected channels into other of the channels.

4. In a lubricated valve having a housing and a rotary plug, lubricantchannels on the plug and housing, means 6r supplying lubricant to 1 thechannels through the plug, there being a well on the housing incommunication with the channels, said plug having a passagetherethrough, means providing anopenable outlet from the well

